Fu Lu Shou – The Three Star Gods

Men have always looked to the supernatural powers for enhancing the quality of their life. Luck and Prosperity Symbols Fu Lu Shou – The Three Star Gods are one of the most respected characters among the Chinese people. The three stars represent Prosperity (Fu), Longevity (Shou), and Status (Lu). They first came into being during the rule of the Ming Dynasty.

The story of Fu Xing

This God is based on the government official Xang Cheng. There was a village in China where the people were extremely short. The emperor at that time was a short person and he felt bad about it. When he visited the village, he found everyone shorter than he was. This made him happy. He decided to take this happiness with him to his palace. So, he ordered a group of villagers to visit him at the palace. There, he gave them work and never let them go back. So, the number of people in the village began to become less. The village faced a bad time and people did not know what to do.

Xang Cheng decided to rectify things. He was courageous and so he wrote a letter to the emperor imploring him to stop doing these things. He explained how the village was facing a crisis. On receiving the letter, the Emperor changed his ways. This saved the village. All the villagers were thankful to Xang Cheng. He became the symbol of good fortune and prosperity.

The story of Lu Xing

Lu Xing is god of social status. He is assigned the Ursa Majoris star cluster and refers to salary. He gives blessing when people write exams or seek government promotions. It is all about high-paying jobs, respect in society, and authority. If one has career success, it naturally brings lots of money and fame.

According to belief, those who studied well will receive Lu – high position and good salary. Only those blessed by Lu would get the best positions. People also associate Lu with blessing childless couple to have children. Having children is considered a big blessing for all people.

Some consider him the honoured Chinese general Kuo Tzu-I. He was also known as the Prince of Fen-yang Wang. His sons numbered eight and his daughters numbered seven. They were all involved in doing high level government work.

The story of Shou Xing

The star god of longevity is Shou Xing. You can easily recognize Shou Xing by the long forehead, the peach of longevity that he carries in one hand, and the staff in the other. According to legend, Shou Xing has the power to fix the date of death for everyone. He decides much in advance when the person will die. Though one cannot change the time, one may play with the manner in which one dies. Here is one story that shows this point.

In this story, a fortune-teller tells a boy named Zoa Yan that he would only live until 19 years of age. A wise man instructed him to take food for two men playing chess in the forest. These men were the South Pole and the North Pole. He did so and they changed the time of his death to 91 instead of 19. You can find the images of Fu Lu Shou on birthday cards. Shou Ling is the one everyone respects the most because he gives them a happy, long life.